Thessaloniki 2022 is celebrating Greek filmmaking
- Text by Huck
This year’s Thessaloniki Documentary Festival (TDF) will see organisers paying tribute to Greek filmmakers, championing the “vibrant, multifaceted and pluralistic” nature of their work across 10 days of events.
The Greek documentaries showing in TDF span a range of subject matter – from migration and displacement to the LGBTQ+ community and gender. To acknowledge the impact of Covid on Greece’s film industry, rental screening fees will be disbursed to every Greek movie featured, “as a gesture of moral and practical support”.
In celebration, here are our picks from 2022’s offering.
The Other Half
Giorgos Moutafis’ film spans 15 years, as the photojournalist and filmmaker documents harrowing migrant journeys across Europe. Using his camera as a vehicle to shine a light on the undocumented and displaced, he tells stories of bravery and resilience in the face of unimaginable horror.
Tilos Weddings
2008 saw the mayor of Tilos, an island in the Aegean Sea, agree to perform Greece’s first ever same-sex civil marriages. Filmmaker Panayotis Evangelidis tracks the journey of the couples in question, exploring a groundbreaking period for Greece’s LGBTQ+ community.
Frugal Abundance
In Frugal Abundance, Frantzeska Romanou and Yorgos Savoglou tell the story of Vangelis. For the past 30 years, he has lived in a makeshift cabin perched at the edge of a rock on Cape Maleas in Peloponnese – without a lock on his door, or any electricity. Vangelis, who travels everywhere on a bicycle, offers a window into a different way of living, and the filmmaking duo capture it perfectly.
Nowhere to Go
Lukas Agelastos and Spiridoula Gouskou investigate the severity of Greece’s homelessness crisis, tracking three people in Athens as they navigate life without permanent residence. Through their stories, Nowhere To Go holds the state to account, illustrating the sheer extent to which they’ve let these individuals down.
My Grandfather Papaflessas
Papaflessas, one of the most influential figures during the Greek War of Independence, lived a life of resistance. He travelled to Constantinople in the age of enlightenment and romanticism, before becoming a member of the revolutionary group Filiki Eteria (Society of Friends) and leading the fight against Turkish forces. My Grandfather Papaflessas paints a portrait of the man.
See more from Thessaloniki Film Festival 2022 on the official website.
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